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2018 Election Preview

New Mexico Elections Show the Rest of the Country How It’s Done

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Barry Blitt’s New Yorker cover, “Welcome To Congress”, has gone viral and it’s no surprise why- the cover shows Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Ilhan Omar (MN-5), and Sharice Davids (Ho-Chunk Nation) (KS-3) with a crowd of brown people behind them at a door, about to walk into a room full of white men. This is a bittersweet moment for people of color across the country- until the late 1960s, ALL American citizens were not able to vote. The legal and physical battles fought to vote were (and are) hard, bloody, and racist. In New Mexico, we have taken Blitt’s concept to the max- the Roundhouse will see a lot of newcomers, mostly women of color and including the first ever Muslim to serve in the legislature, taking their seat on the House Floor. New Mexico has a long history of racism and sexism, especially during the time New Mexico was vying for statehood.

2018 Election

National Network of Abortion Funds celebrates NM abortion advocacy group

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The results of the 2018 General Election mean many things to many people, but for New Mexicans, abortion care is high on the list. 

In 2017, Representative Joanne Ferrary (D-37) sponsored House Bill (HB) 473, the Decriminalizing Abortion Bill that would have removed a pre-Roe vs. Wade law that criminalizes abortion providers. Under the Trump Administration, the likelihood of abortion being a central issue before the 2020 election is both high and the results could be dire. With the appointment of Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, abortion access is in danger for everyone but especially low-income folks and people of color. We expect the state legislature to take up an abortion decriminalization bill again with Governor-elect Lujan-Grisham’s support and eventual signature.

#WhoWeElectMatters

So much winning! New Mexico is sending an ALL Democrat delegation to Congress, elected women up and down the ballot

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There were record numbers of New Mexicans voting in this midterm election compared to 2014 and many of the races turned out in the ways that families needed them to- there were 163,347 more voters this midterm than in 2014, with 54% of eligible voters casting their ballots. What’s more, people who are truly representative of New Mexico’s diversity won last night. Women from all different backgrounds ran in record numbers and won: state House races, judge seats, and the governor’s mansion. The state has its first female Land Commissioner, Stephanie Garcia Richard, and is sending one of two of the first Native American women to Congress, Deb Haaland, elected the first openly gay sheriff, Kim Stewart, in state history, and after a grueling recount, Xochitl Torress Small managed to flip the NM’s 2nd District and become the first woman to represent that area in Congress! 

The Blue (and pink) Wave in New Mexico

Common sense was on the ballot yesterday. There were House races all over the state we watched closely and last night Progressive candidates were swept into office.

2018 Election

Too Much At Stake To Not Vote

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There’s plenty of reasons people use to excuse themselves from not voting. But in case you need a reminder of why every vote, and especially your vote is important, we simply need to look at our state’s national rankings on everything from education to healthcare. That’s right, we are last in everything! In fact, New Mexico was recently ranked 51st in the nation in terms of our level of political engagement.   

A highly engaged electorate that participates in the democratic process and holds our elected officials accountable is critical to having a well-functioning democracy.

"Secretary of State"

Improving voting access to Native communities is good policy for New Mexico

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Last week, the New Mexico Secretary of State’s Native American Voting Taskforce (NAVTF) met at the Pueblo of Laguna in Casa Blanca. The Secretary of State worked in collaboration with the League of Women Voters to give election information that is specific for Native communities. These voter guides have information about the candidates on the ballots, the questions that will be on the ballot, and voting location dates. Native language translation will be available to Native people as well. After the Taskforce met, there was a training for interpreters who will be responsible for what will be aired on the radio stations where tribal communities are located.

#MeToo

Why is it STILL so hard to #BelieveWomen a year into #MeToo?

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Yesterday, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford came forward with her story about Judge Brett Kavanaugh on the eve of a vote on his appointment to the United States Supreme Court. She says that he rubbed his body on her, groped her, and she thought that she might die until someone stopped Brett.  In the #MeToo era, what does this mean? Last November, Ronan Farrow wrote the explosive expose on Harvey Weinstein. The piece outlined the ways that Weinstein used his power and his money to silence the women who said raped or assaulted them in some way.

Abortion rights

WATCH: Planned Parenthood’s new prez is dedicated to healthcare for all, including rural communities!

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Planned Parenthood Federation of America just announced their new president, Dr. Leana Wen. This is the first time in fifty years that a physician has been the president of Planned Parenthood. Dr. Wen was the “Doctor for the City” in Baltimore, where she served as the city’s Commissioner of Health. What does this mean for New Mexico? Dr. Wen’s experiences as a Chinese immigrant whose family relied on Medicaid and who personally relied on the services of Planned Parenthood as well as her dedication to public health means she knows firsthand what many rural and urban communities and communities of color face when it comes to health disparities.

2018 Election

Arnold-Jones doesn’t get to say who’s Native and who’s not. Period.

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Janice Arnold-Jones went on Fox News and insinuated that because Deb Haaland, her Democratic opponent in Congressional District 1, did not grow up on the Pueblo of Laguna reservation, aka The Rez, that Deb cannot claim that she is Native. This is another striking example of how removed Janice and other non-Native people are from the complicated history of Native Americans, not just in the district she wants to represent, but across New Mexico and the nation. Janice, what you said on national television is racist and here’s why. Federally recognized tribes in this country have jumped through endless hoops and faced extreme prejudice just to achieve recognition from the federal government to access healthcare and education promised them under the myriad treaties foisted on them by the United States of America.  Tribes have land held “in trust” with the federal government and must receive permission to use their own land.

Defending New Mexico's Public Lands

An updated Renewable Portfolio Standard is key to moving Farmington, and New Mexico, forward

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This is the third in a series focusing on the long-term economic and social issues facing Farmington, New Mexico, and surrounding areas. As a region that has rich and diverse opportunities but generally relies on extractive industries economically, the whole area is facing uncertainty as the coal-burning San Juan Coal Generating Station closes its doors and oil jobs are moving to the southeast part of the state to capitalize on the Permian boom happening right now. In today’s piece, we’ll be looking at complementary legislation that needs to be implemented in the state to ensure areas like Farmington can continue to thrive well into the future. Last week we looked specifically at how securitization could help PNM recoup its costs as it transitions from coal-generated power to renewable sources, while also helping the Four Corners area transition to a new and more diverse economy. The second part of that prospect though is ensuring that utilities like PNM actually DO get their power from renewable sources, like wind and solar, by legislating what is known as a “Renewable Portfolio Standard,” which spells out exactly how much energy must be derived from renewable sources and by when. A quick aside here on language for this piece: Renewable energy in the broad sense is energy created from clean sources like solar or wind as opposed to energy from fossil fuels like coal, natural gas, or oil.

2018 Election

Straight ticket voting helps voters: It’s constitutional

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On August 29, New Mexico Secretary of State, Maggie Toulouse Oliver, announced that she will reinstate straight party voting.  Why would New Mexicans be against something that can make voting easier? The Republican Party of New Mexico says that this is a partisan move that will only help Democrats down the ballot- but are Republicans not also a major party in New Mexico?  Not to mention the Libertarians will have a spot just for them at the top of the ballot. The GOP joined a lawsuit along with the Libs and other smaller parties to stop the move from being instituted by the SOS.